The goal of the proposed research is to apply improved methodology to the study of clinically relevant fear and tension-related behaviors and ultimately to develop and evaluate new therapy techniques on the basis of concurrent theoretical studies. Proposed investigations are primarily from four interrelated programs of research stemming from earlier investigations. (a) The effects of progressive relaxation on the EEG-defined sleep onset of sleep-disturbed normal and patient samples and on automic arousal, time estimation, and accuracy of autonomic perception will be assessed in several investigations. (b) Through the use of a monotonous stimulation paradigm, the effects of demand and attention-focusing instructions on the soporific effects of monotonous stimulation with good and poor sleepers will be evaluated. (c) Three studies are proposed to evaluate the role of autonomic cues in fear, attempts to modify the effects of such cues, and the influence of parametric manipulations of imaginal CS exposure on the autonomic component of fear. (d) Three therapy outcome studies on the modification of anxiety are proposed. These studies will focus on the role of relaxation in the desensitization process, and the application of progressive relaxation and self-instructional training to social and speech anxiety target behaviors.